Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), a convicted killer is "thawed" out for parole into the 21st century, where he resumes his murderous rampage. Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), the cop who captured him in 1996, has also been cryogenically frozen, this time for a crime he didn't commit. In desperation those living in the now-nonviolent future society turn to Spartan for help in re-capturing Phoenix.